How does where you live shape your health?

Community environments can significantly influence health, wellbeing, and health equity. Our work in this area focuses on understanding community-level determinants of health, access to resources, and the development and evaluation of practical community-based solutions to support health and promote health equity and wellbeing.

Benchmarking Food Environments

Benchmarking Food Environments

Good food and nutrition are essential to promoting the health of children and youth. Healthy eating promotes child growth and development, learning and even the prevention of diet-related chronic [...]

Community Health and the Built Environment

Community Health and the Built Environment

To better understand how a community environment helps or hinders people’s healthy choices, we worked in collaboration with four communities in Alberta: Bonnyville North Central [...]

Collaborative Projects and Publications

Collaborative Projects (Selected)

Collaborative Publications (Selected)

  • Nykiforuk, C.I.J. (2021). Engaging patients in research using photovoice methodology. CMAJ, Epub 2021 July 12. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.210963 https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/27/E1050
  • Nykiforuk, C.I.J., Glenn, N.M., Hosler, I., Crowe, H., Reynard, D., Molner, B., Candlish, J., & Lowe, S. (2021). Understanding urban accessibility: A community-engaged pilot study of entrance features. Social Science & Medicine, 273:113775. Epub 2021 March 1:1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113775
  • Glenn, N.M., Allen Scott, L., Hokanson, T., Gustafson, K., Stoops, M., Day, B., & Nykiforuk, C.I.J. (2021). Community strategies to reduce the impact of financial strain and promote financial well-being: a comprehensive rapid review. Global Health Promotion, 28(1):42-40. Epub 2021 February 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757975920984182
    Special issue on Health Promotion Perspectives on the COVID-19 Pandemic, accessible at: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/ped/collections/covid-19
  • Glenn, N.M., Kongats, K., Cowie, H., Guimond, J.K., Nykiforuk, C.I.J. (2020). Promoting children’s play in Calgary, Alberta: a case study of collective impact and municipal leadership. Cities and Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2020.1779994
  • Cheesbrough, A.E., Garvin, T., Nykiforuk, C.I.J. (2019). Everyday wild: urban natural areas, health, and well-being. Health & Place, 56: 43-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.01.005
  • Nykiforuk, C.I.J., Rawson, D., McGetrick, J.A., Belon, A.P. (2019). Canadian policy perspectives on promoting physical activity across age-friendly communities: lessons for advocacy and action. Ageing and Society, 39(2): 307-339. Epub 2017 Sep 11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X17000939
  • Nieuwendyk, L.M., Belon, A.P., Vallianatos, H., Raine, K.D., Schopflocher, D., Spence, J.C., Plotnikoff, R.C., Nykiforuk, C.I. (2016). How perceptions of community environment influence health behaviours: using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity framework as a mechanism for exploration. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice, 36(9): 175-184. Epub 2016 Sep 22. DOI: 24095/hpcdp.36.9.01
  • Lytvyak, E., Olstad, D.L., Schopflocher, D.P., Plotnikoff, R.C., Storey, K.E., Nykiforuk, C.I.J., Raine, K.D. (2016). Impact of a 3-year multi-centre community-based intervention on risk factors for chronic disease and obesity among free-living adults: the Healthy Alberta Communities study. BMC Public Health, 16(1): 344. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3021-1
  • Sopcak, N., Aguilar, C., Nykiforuk, C.I.J., O’Brien, M.A., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Cullen, R.M., Heatherington, M., Grunfeld, E., Manca, D.P. (2017). Patients’ perspectives on BETTER prevention and screening: qualitative findings from Newfoundland & Labrador. British Journal for General Practice (BJGP) Open. BJBP-2017-0061. Epub 2017 Aug 8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen17X101037
  • Sopcak, N., Aguilar, C., O’Brien, M.A., Nykiforuk, C., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Cullen, R., Grunfeld, E., Manca, D.P. (2016). Implementation of the BETTER 2 program: a qualitative study exploring barriers and facilitators of a novel way to improve chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care. Implementation Science, 11:158. Epub 2016 Dec. DOI: 10.1186/s13012-016-0525-0
  • Manca, D.P., Campbell-Scherer, D., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Kandola, K., Aguilar, C., Baxter, J., Meaney, C., Salvalaggio, G., Carroll, J.C., Faria, V., Nykiforuk, C., Grunfeld, E. (2015). Developing clinical decision tools to implement chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care: the BETTER 2 program (building on existing tools to improve chronic disease prevention and screening in primary care). Implementation Science, 10(1):107. DOI:1186/s13012-015-0299-9.
  • Minaker, L.M., Raine, K.D., Wild, T.C., Nykiforuk, C., Thompson, M.E., Frank, L.D. (2014). Construct validation of 4 food-environment assessment methods: adapting a multitrait-multimethod matrix approach for environmental measures. American Journal of Epidemiology, 179(4): 519-528. Epub 2013 Nov 20. DOI: 1093/aje/kwt272